A mine employee stands in the entry of the Signal Peak Energy's Bull Mountain mine in Roundup, Mont. A judge has given a reprieve to the owners of the central Montana coal mine who had warned layoffs were imminent after the mine’s expansion plans were blocked. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy said Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017 that preparatory work in the expansion area can proceed while the mine’s climate change impacts are further studied. (AP Photo/Janie Osborne,File)
A union official says a coal mine in northern West Virginia has been idled, with 260 workers losing their jobs, apparently because of adverse geological conditions and market issues.
Phil Smith, spokesman for the United Mine Workers of America, tells The Exponent Telegram in Clarksburg that another 59 people were laid off a few months ago at the Federal No. 2 mine owned by ERP Compliant Fuels, which has no other mine to transfer the workers to.
A mine employee stands in the entry of the Signal Peak Energy's Bull Mountain mine in Roundup, Mont. A judge has given a reprieve to the owners of the central Montana coal mine who had warned layoffs were imminent after the mine’s expansion plans were blocked. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy said Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017 that preparatory work in the expansion area can proceed while the mine’s climate change impacts are further studied. (AP Photo/Janie Osborne,File)He says a few workers remain to prevent flooding and keep the mine ready to reopen, but coal reserves were getting thin.
The company did not reply to a request for comment.
In September, CEO Ken McCoy told Platts.com that the mine had some roof falls and other geological issues.
